Pennsylvania likely to have competitive races across state in November

KIMBERLY HEFLING

Wednesday

Apr 23, 2008 at 2:37 PM

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Pennsylvania proved to be the most fruitful state for Democrats in 2006 when the party gained control of the U.S. House, but Republicans are putting forth a slate of daunting candidates in the state as they try to retake the chamber.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Pennsylvania proved to be the most fruitful state for Democrats in 2006 when the party gained control of the U.S. House, but Republicans are putting forth a slate of daunting candidates in the state as they try to retake the chamber.

The GOP candidates, finalized in Tuesday's primaries, include a small-town mayor who garnered national headlines for fighting illegal immigration, a father who lost his son in the Iraq war, a business owner that survived a tough primary and a former congresswoman trying to win back her seat.

The party expresses confidence that it has found the right candidates.

"Pennsylvania has been a keystone for Republican recruitment," said Ken Spain, a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee.

Among the GOP challengers are:

Lou Barletta, a GOP mayor who took on illegal immigration in Hazleton, seeks to unseat Rep. Paul Kanjorski, a Democrat who has represented a northeastern Pennsylvania district for more than 20 years.

Tom Manion, a Republican who is the father of a Marine killed in Iraq. He is attempting in the Philadelphia region to unseat Rep. Patrick Murphy, the only Iraq war vet elected to Congress.

Chris Hackett, a business owner who was heavily outspent by his Republican opponent in Tuesday's GOP primary in northeastern Pennsylvania, is up against Democratic Rep. Chris Carney, a freshman in a historically Republican district who beat an incumbent in 2006 entrenched in a sex scandal.

Former Rep. Melissa Hart, the first woman elected to Congress from Pennsylvania, is fighting to win back her Pittsburgh-area seat from Rep. Jason Altmire, who pulled out a surprise upset in 2006.

Two years ago, Republicans in Pennsylvania lost four U.S. House seats. Nationally, Democrats gained 30 seats and a majority in the House for the first time since 1994.

Among the GOP's targets here are the four Democratic freshmen — with Carney viewed as among the most vulnerable.

His challenger, Hackett, owns several companies, including a staffing agency and insurance brokerage. The wealthy businessman spent more than $790,000 of his own money in the Republican primary even as his opponent spent more than twice as much. He said he will continue to campaign on a message of fiscal conservatism.

Before Carney's win, the district had not been held by a Democrat in more than four decades. Don Sherwood, the previous incumbent, had his four-term House career ruined after a woman 35 years his junior sued him in 2005, alleging the married father of three choked her. Sherwood admitted having an affair with the woman, but denied hurting her. He settled the case for about $500,000.

Carney, a political science professor and a member of the Navy Reserve, calls himself a conservative Democrat and has accused Republicans of trying to buy the race. Democrats hope the tough GOP primary damaged Hackett, who has admitted he had employed an illegal immigrant as a housekeeper.

Republicans actively recruited Barletta, whose local crackdown on illegal immigration made him a national hero among those seeking tighter borders. In 2002, Barletta lost to the 12-term Kanjorski by more than 13 points, but the mayor is hoping to benefit from his higher profile today.

The party also sought the candidacy of Manion, a retired Marine Reserves colonel and pharmaceutical executive whose son died last year in Iraq. Manion's position on Iraq — that U.S. forces should be given the time to develop a careful strategy to exit the country — is in direct contrast to Murphy's. The Democrat has been out front in the party's efforts to withdraw troops.

Carrie James, a spokeswoman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, said the party's hundreds of thousands of new registered voters will likely hurt GOP incumbents, and she accused the party of having a "tarnished" brand.

Democrats point to Altmire as an example of how Democrats can make gains in western Pennsylvania, much of which is historically Democratic but tends to be socially conservative. Altmire surprised insiders by upsetting the three-term Hart, who has already run TV ads against him this time around.

The state's only open congressional seat is in a sprawling rural district in central Pennsylvania long dominated by Republicans.

Rep. John Peterson is retiring at the end of his term. His chosen successor, Centre County GOP chairman Glenn Thompson, beat eight other candidates in the Republican primary Tuesday. Thompson will face Clearfield County Commissioner Mark McCracken, a Democrat, in November.

The state's fourth freshman is Rep. Joe Sestak, a Democrat who represents a suburban Philadelphia district. He faces W. Craig Williams, a former assistant U.S. attorney who served in the Persian Gulf War.

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